Backlash
by chidogs
Summary: Malchior the evil dragon magician is back. And he has managed to turn the tables on Rorek. Can Raven save her magician? Takes place after Dreaming.
1. Chapter 1

Backlash

Chapter 1: Trance

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I simply like to play with them for awhile and return them a little worse for wear, earning no profit whatsoever.

"Anybody see Raven?" Beast Boy asked, glancing around the living room. Cyborg looked over his shoulder from where he sat on the big, curved sofa.

"Not lately." He said. "C'mon, BB. I have the new Space Pirates Attack IV game. You _know_ you want to play!" He waved a thin, plastic wrapped package in the air.

"Aw man! Space Pirates IV! Dude, that's supposed to be the best one ever!" Beast Boy bolted for the sofa and grabbed the game package from Cyborg's hand.

"I have not seen Raven either." Starfire said. "And she had told me that she would go with me to see a story about how the small flightless black and white birds walk at the house of many film screens."

"Uh, that's "March of the Penguins" at the Movieplex." Robin said with a grin twitching his lips.

"Yes, that is what I said." Starfire nodded. "But I have not seen her yet today."

"Actually, neither have I." Robin stated from the computer console. "You could go knock on her door."

"I do not like to bother her." Starfire said hesitantly.

"Yeah, and you know how Raven gets if you bother her." Beast Boy muttered as he peeled the tight, clear plastic wrap from the video game. "She'll come to the door with smoke coming out of her nose or something." He giggled. "Oh yeah, here we go." The plastic came free and Beast Boy slipped the game disc out and into the player. He and Cyborg grabbed for their controls. "You're toast." He said with a snicker.

"Oh yeah?" Cyborg laughed deviously.

"I do not wish to make Raven have smoke in her nostrils." Starfire walked over to Robin.

"Um, I think that Beast Boy was just exaggerating." Robin said, giving a glance over to where both combatants were growling and snarling as their fingers flew over the game controls. "If you just knock on the door quietly, I'm sure she won't be upset. Besides, she did tell you she would go with you."

"Yes, she did." Starfire nodded, her expression less apprehensive. "Very well, I will go and tap lightly on the door to remind her." She took a step, and then turned back. "Robin?"

"Yes?" Robin twisted in the swivel chair to look at her.

"If Raven no longer wishes to go to the house of many film screens with me, would you…. do you think…um, could you…." Starfire's words faded out and her cheeks flushed with a pink glow. She stared at the floor.

"Hm….I didn't catch that." Robin said hesitantly.

"Good, er, oh it was nothing. Nothing, never mind." Starfire said quickly backing away. Then she spun and flew to the elevator that went down to the living quarters. The doors opened, then closed behind her. Robin watched as the doors slid shut. For a moment he gnawed his lower lip. He gave a quick side-glance towards the sofa, but Beast Boy and Cyborg were totally involved in the game. He turned back to the computer and let out a sigh.

Starfire left the elevator on the floor that housed some of the living quarters. She walked down the enclosed corridor in the direction of Raven's room. It wasn't like Raven to not appear when she said she would. Of course, she could have become engrossed in a book, or she could have become lost in deep meditation. Still, Starfire had never known her to forget a commitment that way. Raven was very dependable.

The plain reinforced steel door with just the simple nameplate "Raven," engraved on the front faced her. She lifted and hand and rapped gently three times.

"Raven, it is I, Starfire. I do not wish to bother you, and if you have changed your mind that is all right too. But I wondered if you were still going to go with me to see the story of the penguins?" She stood quietly and waited. And waited. She looked up and down the corridor, then at the ceiling. She hummed. Minutes passed. She repeated the tapping and the message. And waited some more. There was no response.

This was a dilemma. Starfire had an unquenchable enthusiasm. However it had been frequently dimmed when she had tried to include Raven in her circle of joyous feelings. Many times she had hammered incessantly at Raven's door to share with her some new delight she had discovered, only to find that she had interrupted something that Raven had deemed far more important. And while she had not seen the smoke pour from Raven's nose, she had certainly seen the aura of anger around her person and a look much like daggers in her dark eyes. It was an experience that Starfire wasn't eager to repeat again. Raven could be…intimidating…when disturbed.

"Raven," Starfire spoke in a near whisper. "I do not wish to anger you. Please, friend, just tell me if you do not wish to go with me. Perhaps another day would be better?"

There was still not answer. This was beginning to concern Starfire. While Raven could be obsessive about her privacy, she would, however, always have the courtesy to at least answer the door and tell you to go away. Starfire stood and stared at the door. She listened closely to see if she could hear any movement inside. Nothing. It didn't feel right to her. Frowning, Starfire turned and walked swiftly back in the direction of the elevator.

"BOOYAH!"

"Dude!"

"Next level."

"I am so there."

"Robin?"

Robin turned quickly, well aware of the tones to Starfire's voice. She stood a few paces away, frowning.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, standing up from the swivel chair, a sense of alarm spreading through him.

"I am not sure." Starfire said slowly. "Raven does not answer my knock. She does not answer my voice. There is no sound of any movement in her room."

"Well, maybe she's asleep?" Robin suggested hesitantly. Starfire's green eyes met his steadily.

"I have knocked several times, and spoken as well. Even if she had been asleep she would have heard me." She said. "Could you please try to call her room on the intercom?"

"Sure." Robin nodded. Starfire did not get herself worried for no reason. If she felt there was reason for concern, then he was going to take whatever steps were necessary just to be sure. Each room had a communication link that could be accessed from the main room. It functioned like a two-way intercom system. Robin flicked it on and coded in Raven's room.

"Raven? Are you there?" He spoke into the mike. "Raven, this is Robin. We were concerned because no one has seen or spoken to you today. Please answer." He waited, and found himself gnawing on his lip. His eyes flickered up to Starfire's. There was no response. His gloved finger tapped on the desktop. His brow knitted over above the curve of his mask. He leaned forward again. "Raven, I need for you to answer me. If you don't answer right away, we will have to come down and…check your room."

Over on the sofa, Beast Boy blinked as one of his ears twitched over in the direction of the computer console and picked up Robin's words. His lapse in concentration cost him, and suddenly, Cyborg let out a whoop of victory. Beast Boy glowered at him, but quickly put the controls down and hopped over the back of the sofa.

"What's going on?" He asked, walking up to where Starfire stood.

"We aren't sure." Robin answered. "No one has seen Raven. Star went to her room but there was no answer of any kind. I've tried the intercom and she's not answering."

"Okay, that's not good." Beast Boy said. "Um, maybe she just went out for a walk or something?"

"Raven knows the rules better than anyone, she helped make them. No one leaves without letting someone else know, in case of emergency." Robin said.

"Yo, you think there's something wrong with Raven?" Cyborg was right behind Beast Boy.

"She isn't answering. Not one saw her leave and she didn't say anything about leaving." Robin replied. "I'm worried and so is Starfire."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Cyborg asked. "Let's check out her room. She might be hurt or sick or something."

"Um…dude? Remember what happened the last time we went into her room without asking?" Beast Boy tapped on Cyborg's metal arm.

"Yeah, well, we're just going to see if she's okay." Cyborg looked down at him. "And we won't _touch_ anything."

"I know. I know." Beast Boy said sheepishly.

"Let's go." Robin led the way to the elevator.

Raven's door stood as a very sturdy barrier to her sacrosanct room. Raven did not like anyone to go into her room. She never invited anyone into her room. Her room was her private sanctuary. There was only one time, and they all remembered it vividly, that she had broken that rule and had let someone into her room. It had been the book-entrapped dragon, Malchior, who had lied to her and betrayed her to gain his freedom. At the time, she had believed him to be a dashing, young magician, and to everyone's complete shock, she had fallen hopelessly in love with him.

"So, team," Robin stared at the door after several repeated sessions of knocking and calling out. "How do we get in?"

"Hey BB, you got in as a fly once didn't you?" Cyborg recalled. "You could go in and open it for us."

"Well…" Beast Boy ducked his head. "After I told Raven, she got rid of the crack at the bottom of the door. There is no way in for even a gnat. Believe me, I've tr……." He looked up quickly. "I, erm, asked." The red blush on his cheeks made a weird color mix with his green skin tone. Robin arched an eyebrow. "So, um, I could go Rhino and just knock it down."

"Starbolts would destroy it, I am sure." Starfire said confidently.

"Yeah, and this half of the Tower." Cyborg muttered. "Look, y'all. I could use my lazar cannon, I could melt down a hole big enough for us to go through." Cyborg stated grimly.

"Okay." Robin didn't think for long. "Cyborg, you go. Least amount of damage to her room that way. The door will have to be replaced no matter what."

"I'm on it." Cyborg narrowed his eyes, and aimed his arm-turned-lazar cannon. With the skill of much experience, in just a few minutes he had melted down a hole large enough for them to go through. "Don't touch the edges, man. They're still hot." He said, leading the way in.

The others stormed through in his wake. And crashed into him, as he had come to a dead stop. They stared, along with Cyborg, at Raven's large circular bed with the dark satin cover and headboard suggesting a hovering bird of prey. Because, on top of the dark satin cover, Raven lay motionless, eyes open and staring. On one side of her, gripped in lax fingers, was the book of the cursed dragon Malchior. And in Raven's other hand, entwined through her fingers, was a silky, black neck scarf that none of them had ever seen before.

"Raven…" Robin whispered, frozen in shock.

"Oh no…" Starire's hand went to her mouth.

"Man…"Cyborg swallowed.

"Somebody please tell me she's not dead." Beast Boy's voice shook.

"Cy!" Robin broke the paralysis and bolted forward to the side of the bed. He snatched Raven's wrist to find a pulse. Cyborg was right behind him, switching from lazar cannon to diagnostic as he moved. He scanned Raven's prone form. Robin looked up. "She has a pulse, but it's faint."

"Yeah, all her signs are slow."Cyborg nodded. "We need to take her down to the med room so I can check the monitors. I can't really tell much from here."

"Could it be…."Starfire's voice was shaky as she pointed a finger at the book. "The evil Malchior?" Everyone looked.

"Why would she have that out?" Robin asked with a frown. "She'd buried it deep in that locked chest of hers."

"Robin, I'm not sure now if we should move her." Cyborg said slowly. "She looks more like she's in some sort of trance than sick or hurt."

"Could she be fighting the Malchior again?" Starfire asked.

"What's this? Doesn't look like anything Raven would be caught dead in….sorry." Beast Boy was pointing to the scarf. He wilted at the glare everyone directed at him. But they did then redirect their attention to the scarf.

"Anyone see this before?" Robin asked. One by one, they each shook their heads negatively. "Well, it must have something to do with all this. And I agree with Cyborg, this looks like some sort of trance she's in."

"What can we do?" Starfire asked. "We must help Raven."

"If this is some magic thing, there really isn't a whole lot we can do. I just wonder what happened. Why is that book out? What is with that scarf, and whose is it? And why didn't Raven tell us she was going to do something…like this?" Robin asked in a quiet but grim voice.

"Maybe she _didn't_ know what she was getting into." Beast Boy stared at the book then looked back up at Robin. "He fooled her once…."

To be continued….


	2. Chapter 2

Backlash

Chapter 2: Switched

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans nor do I make any profit from this. I just like to use them for a while and return them a little worse for wear.

It had been a long day, and Raven was tired. All she wanted to do was get back to the Tower and take a long bath, pick out a nice, moody book, and go to bed to read. She took the time to eat a quick dinner with the others, and then said her goodnights. Starfire reminded her she had promised to take her to the multiplex cinemas to see the new nature film "March of the Penguins" tomorrow. Raven nodded absently.

The bath was wonderful. With the others still upstairs, she didn't have to hurry or listen to Beast Boy complain about how long she was taking. Finished with that, she went to her room, picked out a likely book to start, and got into bed. Five pages into the book her eyelids began to droop. She set the book aside, pulled up the blanket and fell asleep almost immediately.

Then the dream began. She was surrounded by thick and heavy fog. And in the distance, she could hear a hauntingly familiar voice. But it was so far away she couldn't make out whose voice it was, or what they were saying. She stumbled through the fog trying to get closer to the voice. But the more she struggled, the further away the voice seemed to drift.

"Raven!"

Raven sat up, eyes wide. Her head swiveled as she looked around the dark room. She could practically hear the voice echoing in her ears. Her room was empty. The clock said 1 am. She sat frozen for several minutes. There was nothing but silence. It must have been a dream. Then, with a frown, she laid back down. Finally she drifted to sleep once more.

"Help."

The voice whispered out of the fog. Raven's eyes flew open. She scrambled to her feet and looked around the dark room. Then she walked to the big picture window overlooking the bay and the city. It was foggy outside, and the city lights were just faint blurs in the distance. The scene reminded her too much of her strange dreams, and Raven wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She turned her back on the window and went back to her bed. Slipping beneath the blankets, she reprimanded herself for being fanciful. It was a dream. Nothing more. Now, she needed to get to sleep. She closed her eyes determinedly.

"Please help me…"

Raven bolted up again, her heart racing. She stared at the far wall, hearing the voice in her mind with crystal clarity. This time she knew that it was no dream. But, it couldn't be what she thought. No. It was a trick again. She knew better now.

"Go away. You can't fool me again," she said grimly. She slid back under the blankets and turned to her side facing the full length window. Her drapes were open, and outside she could see the black silhouettes of clouds as they drifted in the fog shrouded moonlight. Her throat tightened unaccountably. She shut her eyes.

"Raven, please!"

Once more she shot up in the bed, eyes wide, staring, heart slamming against her ribs. Her eyes went to the old chest at the far end of the room. Buried at the bottom of that chest was the book that held the dragon-wizard Malchior in a formidable curse. She hadn't opened the chest since she had put the book in there. And she wasn't about to now. She just wondered how the evil dragon had managed to gain enough freedom to speak again.

"Just how stupid do you think I am?" She asked the room, the voice, her tone bitter. "I know what you are now, and I'm not likely to forget."

She dropped back down, hauled the blankets up to her chin and shut her eyes. Sleep was a long time coming. Finally, she began to drift off again.

"I am in desperate need of my scarf, dear lady."

"Rorek!" Raven flew from the bed and stood looking around the room wildly. "Where are you?" The room was as empty as before. Raven lunged across the room to her dresser and dug to the bottom of the lowest drawer. She pulled out a finely woven, almost silky neck scarf that was black as midnight. She clutched it in her hands. "Where are you?"

There was no answer. Raven stood in the room, her eyes sweeping from one side to the other. Then, she took a slow breath. "The book." She walked to the far wall and knelt by the chest. Slowly she unlocked it and opened it. With care, she took out everything on top until at the bottom, the white-bound book that told the story of the battle of Rorek and Malchior, lay on its own. She clutched the scarf in one hand and reached out with the other to pick up the book.

"Are you there?" Raven whispered.

"Yes." Came the well-known voice.

"Why? How can you be there? I cursed _Malchior _into the book!"

"I'm not quite sure, my lady. But it could be that he's learned some sort of backlash curse. Remember all of those books he has at his disposal."

"What can we do?" Raven stared at the book cover. She heard a heartfelt sigh. "I have to free you."

"That would take too long," Rorek said somberly. "Listen, my dear Raven. This will not be easy, but it is the only way I can think of to reverse this."

"I'll do whatever you say."

"All right. Do you remember how I brought you back to my time in your dream?"

"Quite well."

"Good. Now, I'm going to teach you a different spell that will allow you to do it for yourself. What I need you to do, is to take that book back in time to before the battle ever took place," his words were careful and low. "If I'm right, once you get there, as the book hasn't been written yet, or the battle fought. I should be quite fine. The only problem is, that I won't know you."

"And once I'm there…"

"You'll have to convince me to trap Malchior in the book, and then destroy it. I failed to do that before. I'm afraid I believed my curse was strong enough to hold him. I…hated to take a life, even one as evil as his."

"All right," Raven took a breath. "Tell me what I need to know. But Rorek…"

"Yes?"

:"If you destroy the book, won't that mean that I will never read it, and I will never…know you?"

"I'm not sure," his voice was soft. "That may be. But if he is free to strike at my people, I have no choice, Raven. If there is anything I can do to prevent that I will. But, I can't promise. Believe me when I say that I wish for that to happen even less than you. If there was time, I would tell you of my efforts to find a way to meet with you again…"

"It's…probably just as well there isn't time. " Raven felt her cheeks grow warm as she carried the book over to her bed and sat down. She still carried the black scarf in her other hand. "I'm ready. Teach me what I need to do."

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Backlash

Chapter 3: Through Time

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I only play with them once in a while and return them a little worse for wear, making no profit in the process.

It was dark, and she couldn't see anything. But then she realized that her eyes were closed. And she couldn't open them. It was cold. She tried to move, to curl up into a ball for warmth. But she couldn't move. She couldn't move a hand, a foot, nothing. She was completely paralyzed. That was when Raven felt the fear surge through her, and found she couldn't scream either.

Then there were voices. First one, then many. They were distant voices, faint and impossible to understand. They babbled in the background. She wanted to call out to them to help her, to find her, but she couldn't. The voices faded in, and then out, growing a little louder each time until she could almost understand them. But then they would fade away into nothingness again, and she would be surrounded by silence.

Then once voice came to her ears, stronger than the rest. It was a hauntingly familiar voice, one that she should know. The mere sound of it calmed her panic. She felt someone near her, and the cold began to fade.

Whether she had fainted or slept, Raven wasn't sure. She felt consciousness return slowly. The voices were gone. But she wasn't back in a completely silent world either. She became aware of small, gentle sounds; footsteps, the scrape of a chair, a quiet sigh. She opened her eyes slowly. They met flickering candlelight on stone-hewed walls. She felt relief flood through her, and she struggled to sit upright.

"Now, my Lady," came the voice that she knew. "Take care."

She felt a gentle hand brace her shoulder as she sat, and she turned her head towards the voice. Her eyes met the brilliant blue ones of Rorek, the court magician. But there was not recognition in those eyes for her, only concern and curiosity.

"Thank you," Raven said, somewhat hoarsely.

"My pleasure, Lady," he stood back and reached for the chair behind him, pulling it forward to the side of the cot she had been lying on. He sat down, his expression thoughtful. "How do you feel?"

"I'm…fine, now," Raven tried to clear her fuzzy head. Then she remembered and looked around her on the cot a little wildly. "Oh no…" The book, the most important part of her whole mission here was missing. Did the book not make the transition? She knew that Rorek hadn't been sure it would, but they had had no choice but to take the risk.

"Ah," Rorek reached behind him to the small table that stood there, and brought out the white leather bound book. "You carried this with you." Raven felt relief sweep through her once more. The book was here. She reached for the precious book and took it in her hands. Then she raised her eyes to his.

"Thank you."

"You are very welcome, Lady of mystery," a slight smile touched his lips. "May I know your name?"

"Raven."

"Hmmm, unusual name. But then, you seem to be an unusual woman," there was not the slightest hint of recognition. "Tell me, Raven, how did you come to be here? The villagers called for me saying you had just appeared from nowhere in a field. They were afraid that you might be an evil sorceress. You aren't, are you?"

Raven thought he might be serious, until she saw that he had that twinkle in his blue eyes. "No, I'm not an evil sorceress. How I came here, well, that is a little more complicated."

"Ah," he nodded. "Very well. Before I forget my manners, however, why not have a seat at my simple table. I only have a stew and some wine, but you are welcome to share it with me." He held out his hand and she took it as he assisted her to stand up from the cot. He led her to the chair across the table and held it for her to sit down with all of the grace and courtesy of any noble of the kingdom. Then, he swept across the room to an alcove at the far side, where flames flickered in a fireplace and a pot hung over them.

Had the situation been less serious, Raven would have enjoyed this. She watched him gather together the makings of the meal in typical bachelor fashion. The plates he brought didn't match and one was chipped. He gave that one to himself. The goblets for the wine were slightly tarnished. He spent several minutes searching in drawers for a ladle to serve the stew with. She could hear him muttering to himself. Finally the stew was served, the wine was poured and a thick slice of crusty bread each was set beside the plates.

"To your health, Lady Raven," Rorek lifted his goblet, his eyes meeting hers over the rim.

"And to yours, Rorek," Raven returned the toast, raising her own goblet and meeting his gaze. She saw his brows arch at her use of his name. She took a sip of the wine and waited until he had as well. She lowered her goblet to the table. "I'm here to help you…" she began.

Sometime later, Raven had finished her story. She leaned back in her chair tiredly, and waited for his response. His expression had changed very little as she had spoken. She had to the basics, leaving out the details of Malchior's twisted efforts to gain her trust and affection, preferred to be considered gullible rather than emotionally foolish. But she couldn't leave everything out. She had to tell how she had been conned into releasing him, and then had had to learn the curse to send him back into the book. And she had to relate that the Rorek of her story, had known her well enough, and had held a strong enough link with her to call her for her help when he had found the spell reversed, and him a prisoner.

"My…" He finally commented, taking a slow breath. The plates of stew sat cooled and untouched in front of them. He picked up his goblet and took a deep swallow. Then he fixed her with a steady gaze. "Tell me why I should believe you."

Raven returned the look evenly. "Because it's the truth. Because you are very intelligent. And because I have likely told you things only you would know."

"May I see this book?" He held out his hand. Raven stood up and walked to where she had left it on the cot. She handed it to him, and stood by his chair while he opened it. He turned page after page, then shifted his quizzical eyes up to her. "The pages are blank."

"Yes," Raven swallowed the lump in her throat. "That's because you haven't written the story yet. And that's because Malchior hasn't come to threaten your people yet. Tell me, do you know the curse of the book?"

He set the book down, and turned his head to look across the room. "Yes, I know that curse. I'd hoped never to use it. Yet you say I must, and I must also destroy the book once I have trapped the dragon inside."

"Yes. It's the only way. It's the only way _you_ could think to keep Malchior from reversing the curse and trapping you in the book."

"Well, my lady, I've never fought a dragon before," his tone was light, but the tightness of his features told her he was troubled by her words. "But if what you say is true, I am about to." His eyes went to the congealed stew on his plate. Then they went back to her. "I fear my table is less than appetizing now."

"I'm not really hungry, anyway," Raven said, walking across the room, wrapping her arms around herself. She still felt chilled by the sight of the blank pages in the book. And she knew that her greatest fear was going to happen. Once he cursed the dragon into the book, and destroyed it, there would be nothing left for him, or her, to remember. Angry with herself for having such a weak emotion when so much depended on what they did now, she took a deep breath and turned to face him. The breath didn't help much, not when she stared into his startling blue eyes. "Do you know this Malchior?"

"I have heard of an evil dragon magician," he nodded slowly, "and I assume that he may be the one you speak of. He is powerful."

"Well, you are more powerful," Raven said firmly. A faint smile touched Rorek's lips.

"I appreciate the confidence," he said with a slight bow, "but now, My Lady, I suppose we should find a room for you. We don't know how long it will be until our dragon makes his appearance, or do we?"

"You said," Raven lowered her eyes. She wasn't used to feeling this ache inside. It was worse than what she had felt when Malchior had betrayed her. Yes, there was relief that he seemed to accept her and her story, but it wasn't enough to banish the pain. "You said that the spell I used to come here should put me here near the pivotal time period, within a day or two. You…he…" her dark eyes flickered up to meet his again. "Um, this is a little confusing. You said that I should warn you to watch the western sky at sunset."

"I see," he nodded.

"I take it that you believe me," she voiced her thoughts.

"I am known to be very sensitive to the truth, Lady," Rorek said slowly. "I believe you have told me the truth, or most of it, fantastic though it may be. But ours is the path of magic, so we understand that the impossible can happen, do we not?"

"Yes," Raven nodded. Oh yes, the impossible certainly can happen. Out of all of the possibilities, she would have to fall in love with a magician from another time and place, after first falling in love with the evil dragon that pretended to be him in the first place. It was just as well, Raven thought dryly, that Beast Boy was nowhere near here to follow this story. He would never stop laughing.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Backlash

Chapter 4: Farewell

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. I just like to play with them for awhile and return them a little worse for wear.

Raven paced her small guestroom. Rorek had been kind, pleasant and achingly polite. But he had also been clearly shaken and disturbed by her story. He had left his turret chambers for a short time, leaving her alone to pace restlessly. When he came back he told her had had arranged rooms for her in the castle. He took her to them, and then left her there with only word that he would return, but that now he had some research and studying to do.

Waiting was not one of Raven's strong points. Nor was it one of her favorite things to do. She found herself opening and reopening the book to stare at the blank pages. Rorek, _her _Rorek as she thought of him now, had assured her that once the battle was fought, and once Malchior was destroyed, the spell she had used to get back here in time would slingshot her forward again to her proper time, and it would all seem like some distant and fantastic dream, if she remembered any of it at all. Raven had made little comment. Why bother? There was nothing to be done but to go through with it. If she had to forget Rorek the court magician, at least she would also forget her humiliation at the hands of Malchior. In a way, it would simplify her life once more. She should be relieved. She was tired of the other Titans tip-toeing around any subject that might remind her of the whole thing. Especially the sympathetic looks she got from Starfire and Beast Boy. Yes, she definitely should be relieved.

She wasn't. Instead, she was frustrated and annoyed. Frustrated because this Rorek had shut her out while he went off to make his plans to defeat Malchior. Of course she knew that was a foolish way to feel. She hadn't been here the first time, so she had no place in the battle as that might further complicate things. He didn't know her at all, so why would he include her? She was just some messenger from a distant future. He had no memory of that day she had been brought here in a dream by him, to see the kingdom, to get to know the real magician of the story, the real hero of the book. But she remembered it. It had been a day of special magic. For the first time in her life, Raven had felt a bond with someone so strong it had withstood the distance of time. And it had been an equally shared bond. Now, that bond would be gone, because none of that would have happened. The paradoxes of time travel made her head hurt.

And Raven was annoyed because of those feelings. Where was her cool, calm persona? Why did one look into those blue eyes make her feel lost, even though she knew that in this time he didn't feel the same? Why did her fingers itch to slip through his silky mane of white blond hair? Why couldn't this whole damn thing be over with so she could go back to her life as a Titan and be the ice queen once more? Never, ever again would she let such a thing happen to her. She never should have come here the first time. She never should have let him talk her into staying for that magical day. She never should have dropped her guard and let him into her heart…

"Rorek," she stared out of the window to the countryside below, and fought the burning in her eyes. Grinding her teeth, she walked to the elegant bed, sat down, crossed her legs meditation style, levitated and closed her eyes. "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos…"

It was a roar strong enough to rattle the stone foundations of the castle, and it snapped Raven out of her meditation and bolting from her room down the corridor and out onto the courtyard. She was in time to see the shadow of a monstrous dragon diving over the castle and its walls, gusting fire with every breath. He had seemed big back home at the Tower, yet here he seemed even bigger. Raven turned to run towards the drawbridge. Around her people were shrieking and shouting and running. Animals were braying, honking, snorting and squealing in fear. She dodged them, scarcely paying any attention to the mayhem.

"No!" Strong hands caught her shoulders. She spun to see Rorek. He shook his head. "It is my challenge, and my duty. You stay here, please, Lady Raven."

"Sorry," Raven shook her head sharply. "He doesn't scare me. I fought him too, remember?"

"Yes, you did. In your time. But this is my time. If what you say is true, then it must be by my hand he falls. Mine alone." He pulled up the black scarf she remembered to wrap it around his nose and mouth against the suffocating dragon breath he would face.

"Fine. Your battle. I won't interfere. But I will watch."

Rorek lifted his hands and gently gripped her arms. His blue eyes searched hers for a moment, and then he lowered them, and tightened his fingers slightly around her arms.

"You are brave, Lady. I sense no fear in you. I would rather you stayed away, but I have no authority over you. Be careful. I must go…"

"Rorek," Raven felt his hands leave her arms as he turned away and stared to sprint towards where the dragon had gone. He stopped and turned back to face her a moment. She drank in the sight of him. "We don't know how my coming here could have affected things. You be careful too. I want you alive and well if I'm going to forget you."

His eyes narrowed slightly as if he was smiling at her. And for a moment she saw the Rorek she knew in him.

"Of course. I shall be very careful. Just not so careful as to lose the battle."

He turned again and sprinted away towards the stone walkway outside of the castle where the dragon trumpeted his challenge.

"Damn," Raven let out explosively. She bolted after him through the dust of panic in the courtyard. Another dragon roar shook the ground. She rounded a corner and saw the familiar slender black clad figure running towards the towering dragon, against the flood of people and animals running away from it. She fought her way in the same direction.

She remembered the vivid description she had read in the book. It had been so real to her. And now she could see it. For a moment the scene took her breath away. If it had seemed a moment of frightening suspense in the book, now, watching a very real Rorek facing an equally very real Malchior it was a moment of nail biting terror. But Raven didn't scare so easily. She stood some yards away as Malchior cast his baleful stare on the minute figure of the court magician. And she heard his deep laugh of derision.

"Foolish human. You have no chance of winning this battle. Go away and I will let you live."

"How generous. Might I know your name, and why you have decided to come here and upset the farm animals?" Rorek stood facing Malchior, hands at his sides. Clearly his lack of evident fear annoyed the dragon. Malchior bared his huge fangs.

"Little man. I am Malchior, dragon magician and I wish these lands for my own. That is all you need know."

With no other warning, Malchior sent a gout of flame directly at Rorek. Raven had fought a lot of weird creatures in her time as a Titan, but she remembered her fight with Malchior as one of the most difficult. Rorek threw up a shield just in time. Then the battle began in earnest. Raven watched in growing frustration. While she could sense the power in Rorek, she could also see that Malchior evenly matched him. The stone bridge they battled on was quickly coming to pieces, and large chunks of rock were strewn about as each magician unleashed his power on the other.

Raven bit her lip as she held back. He was right. It wasn't her battle. It was his. She didn't dare become involved. It could change things and not necessarily for the better. She could see Rorek, his black clothes starkly outlining his slim figure against the pale sky. The dragon stalked towards him, huge teeth bared, eyes glinting in savage fury. What she had read and imagined paled in comparison to this real battle. Rorek looked so small and vulnerable as he stood his ground against the power of the dragon. Raven had to remind herself that he would win. He _had _to win. He wrote the damn book! And he trapped Malchior in it. It could happen no other way.

Back and forth, dragon fire against magician power, they kept going. There were no more words between them. Aside from the roar of flame and the crash of stone walls, it was a silent battle. Raven crept closer until she was secure behind one of the larger pieces of fallen stonework. She dared a look around the corner. This close, she could feel Roreks power surging forth. He had far more than she had imagined.

"Lady, you shouldn't be here!" Rorek spared a shocked glance over his shoulder, somehow sensing her presence this close.

"Never mind me. Just get him into that book before he breaks more pottery, scares more cows, and your people are drinking curdled milk for a year." Raven ducked back to cover.

"I'm trying my best, Lady," Rorek said, teeth gritted, dodging a fiery blast. His hands flew to weave a pattern and he peppered the dragon with a burst of energy spheres. Raven nodded her approval, despite the fact that her heart had decided to take up residence in her throat. She dared another glance.

"His tail!" She shouted out, forgetting to stay out of it, as she saw the appendage sweep from behind Malchior with the clear intent of crushing his more fragile opponent. Her muscles coiled and she was mid spring when she saw Rorek dodge swiftly out of the way. Her feet settled back onto the ground and she let out a gust of breath, only to inhale sharply again as Malchior lunged forward and snatched up the magician in one ferociously clawed hand.

"Oh…" Raven whispered, a hand to her throat. Then she frowned and her lips tightened. Anger began to simmer inside of her and she felt her power tingle. She was no fair maid to hide from a fight. There was no way that she was going to let that evil dragon win this war or harm Rorek . "Azarath! Metrion….." She caught herself. No. It wasn't her battle. How often did she have to remind herself of that? If she interfered she could be trapped here forever, unable to return to her own time.

"And would that be so bad?" Came a whisper from her mind. "No more Slade, no more petty criminals trying to make names for themselves, no more Hive Academy graduates trying to get extra credit by taking on the Titans, no more bad jokes from Beast Boy or huggy displays from Starfire…"

Raven gave her head a shake. She stared up at Rorek, and he struggled in the grip of the dragon's claws, his features strained. Her heart began to break. She pulled back her power and felt her throat tighten. "Win," she whispered.

She stepped from behind the stone to watch now. She had just come to terms about the fact that she would lose when he won. And she knew he would win. Wind gusted across the bridge and tangled in her cape and hair. She could see his thick, white blond hair whipping away from his face. The dragon brought his dripping jaws closer, a leer of triumph in his glittery eyes. Then, Rorek's lips moved soundlessly, and his one free hand made a sharp and decisive move in the air. She knew his words without having to hear them.

"Yes"

Suddenly, the leer was gone as a stream of power suddenly swirled around Malchior. The dragon shrieked as he felt the power of the curse take hold of him. The claw opened and released Rorek to plunge some thirty feet to the stone below. Raven was no longer powerless. She swept up and forward, catching him and breaking his fall, swerving away from the flailing tail of the spell trapped dragon. She touched down, feeling his arm over her shoulder and his shaky breath. He swayed slightly when his own feet hit the ground. She reached out a steadying hand. For a moment her eyes met his, then they both turned to look at the spell that swirled before them, as it twisted and held Malchior in its vortex. It spun faster and faster until the dragon's shape diminished into a blur. Then, the winds stopped abruptly, and there was a thud as the white leather covered book fell to the ground. They both stared at it.

"It is done," Rorek said hoarsely.

"Not completely. Not yet," Raven said. She turned her head to meet his eyes. "Now, we must destroy the book."

"You are sure it must be….this way?" His blue eyes were troubled.

"I don't have a clue," Raven swallowed the lump in her throat, keeping her tone brusque. "But you told me that he had to be destroyed. Completely."

"Very well," Rorek walked slowly towards the book as it lay on the stone walkway.

From the castle, people were starting to dare look outside again, and Raven could hear the murmur of voices. Her eyes were strictly on Rorek, however. The curse had taken a lot of his strength, she could tell by his slumped shoulders and heavy steps. She knew personally just how weak it left the one who cast it. But it wasn't just the curse. Raven walked up behind him. Unfamiliar emotions beat at her, and she felt as if her heart was being slowly shredded.

"Rorek," She put a hand gently on his shoulder from behind. He turned his head slight to look at her. "He was evil. He will always be evil. He reversed this very spell to condemn you to the book for eternity. He would have murdered your people and taken over your land. He tried to take over my land as well. I know you don't wish to destroy him, but he wouldn't hesitate to destroy you, or me, or either of our worlds."

"Of course, my Lady. I know that you are right," he stared to reach for the book.

"No, don't touch it." She caught his wrist. "I don't know how he reverses the spell, but let's not take any chances. If you like, I'll destroy it. Believe me, I don't mind at all." Some of her bitterness leaked out in her words. She saw his eyes focus on her.

"No, Lady Raven," he said quietly as his gaze seemed to go deeply inside of her, and through her. Then he lowered his eyes and looked at her hand on his wrist. "By your account, this is also my task to do. But if I hesitate, it is not because I grieve for Malchior. It is because I know by this act, I will cause you pain. As much as you wish for his destruction, you also dread it and fear it. Why?" Those eyes met hers again, and she felt a rush of panic.

"I really don't think I want to go into that. Let's just turn this book into ashes, and then I can go home," Raven kept her tone dry as she averted her eyes from his. It took an effort to bring up the emotional wall again, but she did. It was something she had worked on and perfected over the years. She cloaked herself in the numbing cold of dispassion.

"But I feel that you really do not wish this to happen. It troubles me," Rorek's expression was weary but concerned. Raven fought her reaction to that look, and the unexpected caring in his eyes. It reminded her even more that he did not know her. He had not shared a magical afternoon with her, or an even more magical kiss.

"Look," Raven crossed her arms. "Let's not give the dragon a chance to find that reversal spell while we stand here chatting. You have some magical repairs to make to the castle walls, I'm sure. And I've got some bad guys to chase in my own time."

"Very well, Lady," he inclined his head slightly, but she caught the shadow haunting his eyes, and it made her turn away quickly.

He turned back to the leather bound book lying on the stone. Raven took a bracing breath, and then turned to stand beside him. She saw him lift one hand and whisper some words she didn't understand. His fingers pointed at the book, and a single, narrow beam of blue-white light flowed from his fingertips to surround and encase the book. It glowed brighter and brighter, obscuring the book it surrounded. Raven's eyes burned at the brightness. Then, unexpectedly, Rorek caught her, whipping around, shielding her against him, as there was a blinding flash of explosive power. She found herself tightly held against him, her face buried against the ends of the scarf that hung down his chest. And her arms, of their own volition, had wrapped themselves around him. She felt the strength of his arms around her as well. She could feel the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek.

"So," he took a deep breath, "it was this way, was it?"

"No…"she murmured, trying to ignore the feel of his silky mane of hair on her hands as they remained clasped behind his back.

"You cannot deceive me now, Lady. Your feelings are too strong to deny. Now I understand your conflict." He sighed. "That book will never be written now, and you will never read it."

"And I will never know you," She looked up into his eyes, her own brimming. "Yes, I know."

"How brave you are." His arms still held her. "But, I know _you_ now, don't I?"

"Just…let me say good-bye," Raven said haltingly. "You said that the magic would recognize the change, the correction, and would pull me back."

"Now? So soon?" His eyes searched hers. "You saved my life, Lady Raven. For that I must thank you. And bid you safe journey. Farewell…"

"Farewell, Rorek…"

He lowered his head and kissed her. She clung to him fiercely and kissed him back, waiting for the magic to sweep her away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was Starfire who saw.

"Look! The book! It is….disappearing!" She pointed, her eyes wide.

All eyes snapped to where she pointed, to the bed and the book that lay there. And indeed it was fading away as they watched, and in a moment, was completely gone.

"Dude, where did it go?" Beast Boy's eyes swept the room.

"Good question,"Cyborg said with a wary frown. "Uh…where did what go?

For a moment, the instant the book vanished completely; they all stared blankly at each other. Then, Robin turned back to Raven.

"Raven…"Robin whispered her name, and the others turned their attention to their team mate. Her eyes were still open and fixed on the ceiling. But from the corner of each eye slid a single tear, trickling down her face to disappear into the pillow beneath her head. Robin bent over her anxiously. "Raven?" Her eyelids closed slowly, and her breathing took on a normal steady rhythm.

"Um, can somebody tell me that really happened? Did she really, like have tears?" Beast Boy stammered.

"Shhhhhhhhh" Starfire glared at him with a threatening look. "She is waking up."

Raven's eyes flickered and then opened. She stared up at the hovering Titans.

"Um….who died?" She asked.

"Oh, um, well, you had this…." Robin began as she sat up. "problem,"

"My door." Raven stared at the hole Cyborg had made. "Who…?" She broke off as she lifted her hand, and saw clutched in her fingers a black scarf. "What is this?"

"We do not know." Starfire said.

"Dude! You've been like in a trance for hours. You had us really freaked out. And nobody knows where that creepy thing came from." Beast Boy blurted out.

"I'm fine," Raven said, but her eyes went back to the scarf. She frowned. "You guys have some explaining to do. You're in my room. You burned a hole in my door…"

She faded off as she stared at the black scarf. "I had the strangest dream…"

End (for now)


End file.
